Indian Grandmaster Srinath Narayanan applauded Divya Deshmukh for winning the FIDE Women's World Cup in Batumi, Georgia on Monday.
Deshmukh defeated Koneru Humpy with a score of 2.5-1.5 in the tie-breaks. Deshmukh secured a gold, Humpy pocketed silver, while China's sensation Tan Zhongy finished the tournament with a bronze medal.
With this win, Deshmukh not only claimed the World Cup crown but also fulfilled her final GM norm, officially becoming India's 88th Grandmaster.
Speaking to ANI, Srinath said, "I think it's a very proud moment both for Divya as an individual and also for us as a nation. Divya winning the World Cup and becoming a grandmaster was a remarkable achievement. Hampy also won the silver medal, and both of them qualified as the candidates going one step closer towards becoming a women's world champion."
Srinath feels India is doing incredibly well in chess. Last year, GM D Gukesh won the 2024 FIDE World Championship in Singapore and became the youngest-ever World Chess Champion, followed by Divya Deshmukh in the FIDE World Cup.
"We are doing incredibly well in chess. We won the Olympiad in both open and women and we also have won the open world championship. Gukesh is the world champion, and now we also have the world cup winner," he added.
Narayanan said the achievements of Deshmukh and Humpy are highly inspirational and highlighted their roles as role models for different age groups. He emphasized that their success demonstrates that winning the World Cup is achievable regardless of age.
"I think it's very inspirational especially two sets of role models one a 19 year old champion another the 38 year old champion both of them inspiring a different set of a different age group of people so this certainly augurs well in inspiring and showing an example that you can you can do it you can win the world cup as a 19 year old and there's nothing stopping you."
Indian Grandmaster Pravin Thipsay felt Divya's victory was a historic and fantastic achievement, emphasising the significance of the World Cup and World Championship in chess.
He noted that Divya's win is particularly impressive because she defeated Chinese players to reach the finals, who have consistently competed in world championship candidate events.
"I think it's a sort of historic achievement, a fantastic achievement in a sense. The World Cup and World Championship they have always had a special sort of place in be both men's chess and women's chess. She [Divya] has defeated Chinese players who have been playing world championship candidates for the last several years," Thipsay told ANI.
Humpy and Divya entered the final, defeating their Chinese opponents to set up the title clash. Divya Deshmukh defeated her Chinese opponent Tan Zhongyi 1.5-0.5 in the semis, whereas Koneru Humpy won against Lei Tingjie by a 5-3 margin.
Indian Grandmaster Dibyendu Barua felt the 19-year-old is now a role model for the upcoming young generation. He also said Divya's victory will definitely motivate or inspire the Indian women, and those who are coming up.
"She is now a role model for the upcoming young generation. And I am sure that this victory will definitely motivate and inspire the Indian women, and those who are coming up," Dibyendu told ANI.
"Both of them played well, Divya and Humpi both, and they both qualified for the finals by defeating the Chinese players. The final two games were normal, and in the first game, Divya was much, much better. But she could not convert it to a win. And then second game it was a draw. But then it went to the tie-break," Dibyendu added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted his congratulations to the 19 year old.
'A historic final featuring two outstanding Indian chess players! Proud of the young Divya Deshmukh on becoming FIDE Women's World Chess Champion 2025. Congratulations to her for this remarkable feat, which will inspire several youngsters. Koneru Humpy has also displayed immense prowess throughout the championship. Best wishes to both players for their future endeavours.'
Chess legend Susan Polger wrote on her X handle: A star is born & a newly crowned Grandmaster! IM Divya Deshmukh defeated GM Humpy Koneru in the tiebreaks to win the 2025 Women's World Cup! What a magnificent feat for this talented and mentally tough young lady! With this victory, she is now the 44th woman to hold the Grandmaster title! Double congratulations!!'
'An all-Indian final. A historic win. Congrats Divya Deshmukh, India’s first Women’s World Cup Champion and newest Grandmaster. Full credit to Koneru Humpy for a thrilling contest yesterday!' cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar tweeted.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra wrote: 'Congratulations, Divya Deshmukh! At just 19, you've made history by winning the FIDE Women's World Cup 2025, an extraordinary feat that fills the nation with pride! A special salute to Koneru Humpy for making this all-Indian final a moment of national celebration. Two champions, one unforgettable milestone. India stands proud!'
Humpy made a mistake by capturing the f pawn, which changed the tide in Divya's favour towards the final moments of the contest. The Indian players, who were left tied at 1-1 each after the two classical games in the Final, entered the tiebreaks today to decide the ultimate winner.
Divya became the fourth female Indian grandmaster, following in the footsteps of Humpy, R. Vaishali, and Harika Dronavalli.
Earlier, the opening game of the FIDE Women's World Cup final saw two of India's finest talents, Koneru Humpy and Divya Deshmukh, settle for a hard-fought draw. The scoreboard read 1/2 - 1/2. The second round of the FIDE Women's World Cup also ended in a draw. Two of India's finest talents, Koneru Humpy and Divya Deshmukh, settled for a hard-fought draw. The scoreboard read 1/2 - 1/2.
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